Live Music, Book Reading, Free Books with Dr. KnuckleHead and Kevin Goins

Join us on October 6th for special performances with local legends and special guests.

The Student Advocacy Center, Inc. (SAC) proudly presents an evening with award-winning civil rights lawyer, musician, and activist Amir "Dr. KnuckleHead" Whitaker.

Amir has worked tirelessly to protect the rights of students in Panama City and across the country. As an advocate for youth, Amir represented thousands of Black students unjustly suspended, expelled, and arrested, helping to dismantle the School-to-Pr*son Pipeline. His work with SAC, the NAACP, and the ACLU has had a lasting impact on Bay County and beyond.

In this special event, Amir will share stories from his journey as a civil rights lawyer, artist, and community advocate. Come hear how his work with organizations like SAC has shaped his mission to fight for educational justice and equity.

Event Highlights:

• A book reading and keynote from Amir Whitaker
• Reflections on his award for impacting Panama City, Bay County, Florida, and the world
• Community Q&A and open dialogue with Greg Dossie
• Live music and performances by "Dr. KnuckleHead"

Don't miss this opportunity to engage with a powerful voice for justice and hear how you can support our community's youth!

📅 Date: October 6th at 3:00 pm

📍 Location: 924 Bay Avenue, Panama City, FL 32401

Rosenwald High School (Multipurpose Room)

DR. KNUCKLEHEAD is a multi-faceted artist and human rights lawyer blending music, activism, and healing traditions. As a composer and hip-hop soul guitarist, he channels his experiences into a genre-defying sound he calls “Sonic Sorcery.” His artistry, rooted in the ancient traditions of griots and conjurers, uses words and music to rally listeners toward liberation. BOOK: The new edition of Amir’s autobiography is here! It’s packed with exclusive content and lyrics from his new music project. The book shares Amir’s transformative journey through challenges that molded him into an agent of change: rebounding from incarceration and expulsion, earning five college degrees over 12 years, and traveling to 30 countries before his 30th birthday. It offers an intimate glimpse into the mind and soul of Dr. KnuckleHead, with lyrics and bonus material included. MUSIC: The upcoming album, Sonic Sorcery x Liberation, is a journey of resilience, self-emancipation, and spiritual awakening. With poetic lyrics, infectious grooves, and soul-stirring melodies, Dr. KnuckleHead’s music inspires change. Featuring an eclectic group of musicians on piano, violin, banjo, drums, bass, trombone, saxophone, and West African instruments, this album brings a rich tapestry that pushed boundaries.

KEVIN GOINS is a legendary Funk and Gospel musician hailing from Plainfield, New Jersey. He is best known as the founder of the band Quazar, a pivotal force in the P-Funk movement. Emerging in the 1970s alongside his brother, Glen Goins, and drummer Jerome “Bigfoot” Brailey of Parliament-Funkadelic, Quazar became renowned for their powerful fusion of funk, jazz-funk, and rock. Over the decades, Kevin Goins continued to shape the funk and soul music scene, collaborating with iconic artists such as Bernie Worrell, Bobby Womack, and Bootsy Collins. His musical journey expanded internationally with his UK-based band, P Theory, and he plays with Watermelon Funk in NJ.

FULL BIO: Amir is an educator, author, human rights lawyer, and artist. He is the founder and director of Project KnuckleHead, a nonprofit organization empowering youth through music, art, and educational programs since 2012.

Often referred to as “Dr. KnuckleHead,” Amir was introduced to the criminal justice system as a child when he visited both his mother and father in Pr*son. At age 15, Amir himself was arrested and entered the juvenile justice system. Problems at school eventually led to him being expelled. Despite these hardships, Amir went on to complete five college degrees. As a lawyer referred to as a “civil rights and education stalwart” by the Daytona Times, Amir has negotiated settlements and policy changes that have improved the lives of youth across the country. Amir is currently a senior policy attorney with the ACLU of Southern California. He has taught varying grade levels and in different educational settings for over a decade, and has held teaching certifications in Florida, California, and New Jersey. He has written for publications like TIME Magazine and Washington Post. Amir's autobiography, “The KnuckleHead’s Guide to Escaping the Trap” has been featured on and in. As an artist, Amir has collaborated with musicians around the world while studying and teaching styles of music and dance of the Afro diaspora. His art has been displayed in galleries, libraries, and billboards around the world. He is the co-founder of Afro Unidad, a Black cultural kinship movement with 50+ ambassadors across 14 countries. He received his doctorate in Educational Psychology from the University of Southern California, juris doctorate from the University of Miami, and his bachelors from Rutgers University.

Host or Publisher Afro Unidad